


An (Un)Likely Rescue

by Mischel



Series: Merlin Rewatch 2020 [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angry Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Beginnings, Destiny, Episode: s01e01 Dragon's Call, Gen, Humour, I mean is it if I just mention blood once, I mean it's set a few days after that episode, I'm terrible with tags today, Kidnapped Merlin (Merlin), Kidnapping, POV Merlin (Merlin), Prince Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Rescue, Someone gets stabbed, Swordfighting, but I wouldn't say it's graphic description of violence, but they barely know each other, can be Merthur if you squint, guess not, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23232967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mischel/pseuds/Mischel
Summary: It's barely been a week since Merlin became Arthur's manservant, and he'd already managed to get himself kidnapped. Who is this "Emrys" that his kidnappers keep talking about? And will anyone come to rescue him?Set shortly after 1x01 The Dragon's Call.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merlin Rewatch 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670389
Comments: 11
Kudos: 329





	An (Un)Likely Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, I hope you're all doing okay! I started a new Merlin rewatch and decided to try to write a short fanfic for every episode, ideally every week. I have a strong feeling that it'll all fall apart in like two weeks, but I do have a fanfic for 1x01 that I watched last Friday. I'm going to watch 1x02 tonight, so hopefully, there'll be another short fic next week.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

“So this is the famous Emrys?” The woman hovering over Merlin smiled from ear to ear. Then she raised her eyebrow in amusement. “He’s just a boy.”

  
  


“The prophecy doesn’t lie, my lady,” said the old white-haired man. He was cowering behind the mighty swordswoman, and in all honesty, Merlin would have preferred him to hover over him instead of the lady.

  
  


Her smile scared him.

  
  


“We saw it,” the man referred to himself. “With our two good eyes.”

  
  


The woman made a sceptical face but kept her eyes on Merlin. “You’re old. Both your eyes are shit. But for your sake, I hope you’re right about him.” She finally let go of Merlin’s chin and looked back at the old man, who quickly averted his eyes. “If you’re right and everything goes according to plan, my king will accept me as his knight again and I will pay you handsomely. But if you’re wrong,” she made a step towards him and the man quickly jumped back in fear, “I’ll find you and make _you_ pay.”

  
  


This was bad. This was really, really _bad._ It was barely his first week in Camelot, he’d become Arthur’s manservant merely a few days ago, and he’d already been kidnapped? By someone who apparently didn’t even know who he was?

  
  


What kind of a name was Emrys anyway?

  
  


“We’re- We are right, my lady,” the old man repeated. His voice was shaking. “The prophecy doesn’t lie.”

  
  


The woman rolled her eyes as she turned back to Merlin and smiled again. “Very well. You can leave now, Alfred.”

  
  


“Does my lady believe us?”

  
  


“Either way,” she looked at him, “you’ll be hearing from me again. I can promise you that.”

  
  


The man nodded and quickly hurried out of the abode, no doubt to get as far away from there as possible. Because, clearly, he was wrong about this. Whoever that _Emrys_ was, Merlin wasn’t him. His name has always been just _Merlin_.

  
  


“You’ve been strangely quiet,” the woman spoke directly to him, her stare unwavering. Now that he had her full attention, the room seemed to have grown so much smaller. She scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re _scared_. You? The famous Emrys? The most powerful s-”

  
  


A scream sounded from the outside, then a loud thud, and a quiet curse.

  
  


Merlin couldn’t have been happier for the interruption.

  
  


The woman whipped around and unsheathed her sword, immediately setting her eyes on the only entrance. She moved forward carefully, ready to attack.

  
  


It was quiet outside. Merlin glanced at his tied wrists, wondering whether this was an unlikely rescue or rather someone more dangerous and whether he should use magic to free himself or rather wait just in case it was someone from Camelot. He didn’t want to leave the city only a week after arriving, or worse - get executed.

  
  


Lucky for him though, he had his answer soon.

  
  


Arthur walked through the door, his sword in both hands and dressed in his shiny armour. He looked mildly annoyed.

  
  


Merlin grinned.

  
  


“Arghh!” the woman screamed in Arthur’s face, her own sword ready and already swinging at Arthur. The prince blocked it, but the woman whipped out a dagger. Before Arthur could notice it though, she was forced to drop it when it became too hot to hold.

  
  


Courtesy of Merlin, of course.

  
  


They fought for a long time, both huffing from the effort, while Merlin kept sitting there and watching, biting his lower lip in anticipation. He couldn’t help Arthur more that he already had without risking revealing his magic, unfortunately. For a moment, he thought the woman might win and he grew worried, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. 

  
  


The sword pierced her stomach with a loud _hiss_ , Arthur standing over her. Her eyes widened and life left them soon after she fell to the ground, defeated.

  
  


Arthur took a deep breath, Merlin already smiling, but before he could say anything, Arthur was groaning in annoyance.

  
  


“I _cannot_ believe you!” he exclaimed as he approached Merlin, not even bothering to untie him. “You’re supposed to be _my_ manservant, and I’m not supposed to fight _for_ you, yet here we are! You manage to get lost and almost get yourself killed on the very first hunting trip? _That_ , and you can barely put my armour together. You’re completely useless! _What was my father thinking when he gave you this position?!_ ”

  
  


When Arthur stopped yelling, Merlin dared open his mouth. “Are you done?”

  
  


“ _You!”_ Arthur yelled and pointed a finger at him in frustration, then turned around and sighed loudly, muttering, “I cannot believe this.”

  
  


“I did save your life,” Merlin helpfully reminded him, but perhaps he should have rather stayed quiet.

  
  


“And I just saved yours, can’t we just say we’re even?” Arthur turned back to him. Merlin could tell that Arthur didn’t truly mean that, but he was considering it. And to be honest, Merlin might have been considering it too, were it not for the dragon and his speech about destiny.

  
  


He shook his head. “I don’t think it works that way in our case.”

  
  


Arthur nodded at him, his anger finally leaving him, if only just partly.

  
  


Merlin sighed. It was getting somewhat uncomfortable to keep sitting in the same position tied to a chair. “I’ll learn to put your armour together, I promise,” he said, thinking of Guinevere. She might help him. “But I can’t do it from here.”

  
  


Arthur frowned at him and then raised his eyebrows as the realization hit him. “Right,” he mumbled as he bent down to finally, _finally,_ untie Merlin’s wrists and legs. “Be sure to keep that promise.”

  
  


“I will.”

  
  


When Merlin was free and standing up, Arthur asked, “what did they even want you for?”

  
  


They both glanced at the woman on the ground, a pool of blood growing beneath her on the ground.

  
  


Merlin just gave him an honest shrug. “They kept talking about me as if I was some kind of highborn hero or something. They must have got the wrong person.”

  
  


“Clearly,” Arthur commented. 

  
  


Merlin pursed his lips but didn’t say anything to that. He was glad that Arthur took the time to search for him and rescue him, even though the first thing he did after finding him was literally yell in his face. Arthur didn’t have to go look for him after all, he was just a lowly servant and they’d only known each other for a week.

  
  


But with every passing day, he saw more of Arthur and understood him a little bit better. Yes, he was an ass most of the time, but there were times when Merlin wondered . . . maybe the dragon wasn’t entirely wrong.

  
  


“Come on.” Arthur patted his shoulder on his way out, almost affectionately.

  
  


Merlin smiled.

  
  


Yes, perhaps the dragon wasn’t wrong after all.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and remember to wash your hands! :)


End file.
